Freezing the Seraphim
by DELTAGOD
Summary: They arrived one day in October 3844. The Seraphim is what we called them. Claiming millions of planets and trillions of lives. A commander by the name of Jacob Sterling has been fighting them for the better part of 4 decades. However one battle goes south when a EMP goes off nearby and interrupts his Quantum leap shoving him into an alternate world where the seraphim are the Nova.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Tell me what you guys think about this in the reviews!

Wind buffeted the tops of the snow covered trees causing powder to drift down to the forest floor 50 feet below. Then the ground started to shake, the trees losing their powder as a blue light absorbs dozens of the massive trees. A blue cube many times taller than the trees forms. The cube dissolves displaying a massive building, standing a couple stories above the trees. The building spews blue light as 30 foot tall robots start pouring out of it.

Giant metal feet dent the ground as a 90 meter tall robot stomps past the building. Smaller robots skittered about on both tracks and feet and the taller robot scanned the area. The smaller tracked ones also building with blue lasers but on a smaller scale. Walls, radars, and the likes popped up around the area.

The commander rubs his brow as he watches his scouts sprint into the forest towards the mountains in the distance.

"Commander, this is Hunter Actual, my group has sighted four Class 4 Assault Bots approaching from the northern mountains, how copy." The radio crackled as the Commander leaned forward in his seat.

"Four… huh? I'm giving you a holding pattern. That is final, no negotiating." Commander Sterling barked out. He knew that the Hunter task force was not one to run away from the ACU sized Seraphim Assault Bots. Rising 100 meters above the ground and traveling by way of magnetic levitation.

The commander leaned back in his seat as he sighed outwardly. 'It's no fare for someone my age to deal with the expenditure of human life.' He thought as he fixed his cap. Jacob sterling, the oldest commander in the UEF, at the ripe age of 55, he had been fighting since he was 18 against the Seraphim, a strange alien race that had just shown up one October day in the year 3844 after the firing of the Black Sun, a giant quantum mass relay. The Black Sun was supposed to end the Infinite war, a 1000 year war that had cost trillions of lives and laid waste to millions of planets. The Black sun was fired out of desperation to end the war. In the end the Black Sun ended the war, fulfilling its purpose, but bringing about something else. Beings known as the Seraphim emerged above earth when the Quantum fields surrounding the Black Sun were destabilized. This started another war, this one even bigger than the Infinite War.

The Seraphim had a trick up their sleeve as well. It was known as a Stasis field, rendering all human weapons and war machines frozen in place as it smashed them to pieces. The UEF, Cybran, and Aeon scientists banded together to create a reverse stasis field that created an adverse field using quantum gateways. Once all soldiers and ACU's were fitted with these devices the Seraphim had used their one trump card.

"Commander! Seraphim stasis field activated. Units in the immediate area have been frozen." Hunter blurted out as Jacob looked to the mountains and saw a large bubble of blue hexagons rising up. The bright blue bubble rose higher and higher, spreading outwards across the ground freezing Mechanized Marines, tanks, and aircraft in place.

"All units, activate stasis nullification charges now." No sooner had the bubble risen than several other bubbles, red in color, expanded out smashing the blue bubble to bits. The aircraft that circled the Seraphim bot were AC-1000 Terrors. Their 2 meter Cannons aiming for the center chest and back of the Seraphim bot as that was where the core was.

"Nullification complete, Seraphim stasis area has been reversed." Jacob smirked as he saw shots raining down upon the Seraphim. The shells smashing against their thick armor was a sight to behold. Looking back upon the assault bot he saw the core smashed under the thousands of shells pumping into it. Despite the disadvantage, in all the decades Sterling had faced the Seraphim they had never retreated.

Just as the Seraphim Bot fell, hundreds of small, 60 foot tall _llshavoh_ Assault bots sprinted down the valley towards the UEF base. The multiple point defenses mounted on the walls around Jacob started firing. A steady buzzing was heard as the larger defenses spewed out spent 800 millimeter cases that dented the ground as they landed. The familiar thump of the Coil-gun towers could be heard as the super-heated chucks of metal were propelled towards the assault bots. Jacob swiveled his ACU around as the _llshavoh's_ approached his defenses. They fell like wheat to the sickle but there were still always more to replace the fallen. 'Makes me wonder how they are even associated with the Aeon "Way"' He wondered as the railgun on his arm fired slugs out at a constant rate.

The Seraphim had a connection to "The Way", a sort of religious belief, common with the human branch of the Aeon. This connection to "The Way" made them incapable of hurting another sentient being. However the Seraphim soldiers had abandoned "The Way" to become warriors. They are rejects of their society and are banished to fighting. They give up their lives to fight, actually upon rescinding "The Way" they become emotionless and uncontrollable killing machine hell-bent on destroying those who oppose their people. Thus effectively "damning" themselves, unable to advance in society.

The waves of Seraphim _llshavoh_ were thinning, despite this their dual plasma cannons were doing their worst against the UEF Mechanized Marines. Jacob read an 80% loss in soldiers. This seemingly large attack was only a scouting run to test the waters.

"Raptor Actual, what is your status?" Jacob called out to the UEF Mech Marine leader.

"This Is Raptor Actual, we are reading a loss of 86%, 2,354 men. Requesting reinforcements." The soldier was quick to ask for more fodder to keep the Seraphim at bay. 'The Seraphim were ruthless and they would attack any minute.' Jacob mused in his head as he stacked up a few thousand more Marines at the Factories.

The Marine was the smallest solider the UEF had to offer. Standing at 30 feet tall with a foot and a half of titanium on the upper arms and chest. The 20 inch rounds that the suit fired were barely sufficient enough to scratch the plates on the S3 and S4 Assault bots, but they held their own against the HA1 _llshavoh_ bots and even the S2 bots in large numbers.

"Sir!" The urgency in the AI's voice was unsettling. Yet before Jacob could ask sirens blared in the cockpit of the ACU. Jacob scanned the console for the cause of the alarms as the AI blurted out again in its near monotone voice. "Strategic launch detected, Cybran nuclear signal." The calmness of the voice irritated Jacob. The simple fact that the AI sounded fine with an ICBM being used.

"Activate Personal Gateway, plotting location." Jacob typed in the nearest UEF base as the missile streaked across the sky. The thick coils of Quantum energy swirled around the ACU as the teleporter charged its jump drive.

"Location plotted, eta to jump: 30 seconds." Jacob was sweating as the bar slowly filled. The missile slowly streaking across the sky, getting ever so closer. Then he looked at the screen and saw something that worried him. Impact and RMAS would take place at the same time.

He braced in his seat as the nuclear missile detonated a few thousand yards from him as the RMAS fired. The gateway opened but before it could initiate the jump the electromagnetic shockwave pulsed through the suits electronics and into the gateway

"E-E-Error, c-cal-calculation's calc… Off. Suggest-est immediate immed-di-di-di… System…shut…..down." The suit buzzed and hummed as time and space around the suit warped and flickered. Then the Shock-wave from the EMP nuke reached his suit. Jacob was thrown around in his seat as the suit tumbled through nothingness.

"What the hell is going on?!" Jacob yelled as the he struggled to pull the suit out of hibernation. Flicking a few switches the console started glowing as the reactor powered up. The panels and dash started rapidly lighting up as more power flowed through the ACU.

"Power restored, re-engaging observation nodes. Warning! ACU falling at terminal velocity, suggest powering on thrusters." The AI yet again succeeded in agitating Jacob with its calm take on life or death situations. What he saw below him was the Earth, more specifically mainland Japan. He remembered training for ACU piloting in the Class of 3846. Although that wasn't his main focus as of this moment.

"7,000 feet! Warning deploy flaps!" Jacob struggled against the centrifugal force and yanked on the flaps lever. The painful jolt of rapid deceleration shot through his body followed by the feeling of relief as the computer stopped blaring at him.

"Descent speed rectified, Brace for impact." The voice cut out and soon after the ACU shook as its feet made contact with the Earth 28 stories below him. He slowly panned the optics around and found that he was surround by a forest.

"Wait? A forest in Japan?! There isn't a single square inch capable of holding a forest… unless… no that's not possible." Jacob was contemplating the possibility of outer-dimensional travel as he told the AI to scan the radio waves for any clues.

"Anything?" Jacob sighed out as he kept his eyes peeled looking around for any signs of the UEF or, heaven forbid, the Seraphim.

"Sir, the radio waves match those on catalog for after the year 2048 but before 2060. Also there are no radio recordings on the local database that reference the UEF… at all." Jacob sat back as he felt a wave of chills wash over his body. Then the computer spoke again.

"Sir, your vital signs are showing abnormalities, specifically those of a raise in general health. Data is on par with that of a perfectly healthy 15 year old." Jacob almost fainted as he unbuckled his seat and sprinted to his wash room. There before him was standing a little more than 4 decade younger version of himself. His short black hair was missing its grey lines as his eyes moved down to his face. The stress lines that had accumulated over the years were gone. No longer was his face framed with wrinkles and creases but was now its original smooth state. His bright green eyes had regained their previous color and vigor that had been lost over the years. Finally after opening the door and walking out he realized his aches and creaking joints were gone.

"Commander, you may want to see this." Jacob quickly exited the wash room and took a seat before the AI displayed something to him on a screen. He was shocked to say the least at what he saw. It was a S2 Seraphim Assault bot, and jumping around it were… girls?! He thought his eyes were mistaking him when he saw them but there they were.

"Can you enhance on them, the figures?" Jacob was intrigued, especially by the glowing marks on their backs. He reached back and touched one of the 36 Seraphim Enhancements that dotted his back, shoulders, and skull. The SEP (Seraphim Enhancement Project) flashed through his mind, dozens of the commanders in his class were chosen for it. The devices on their backs were designed to turn the commander into a literal weapon of mass destruction if need be. The ability to construct any weapon or war machine at will was useful. The same, yet larger, devices were mounted on actual factories and the ACU.

"What are teenage girls doing with the SE's on their backs? Can you locate…" Jacob started as the compute bleeped.

"Already done sir… I have discovered their base of operations. They call it West Genetics, I have already procured you false documents and enrolled you in their program. It seems as though they will be able to pick you up at 0900 hours." The map details popped up on his display as Jacob sighed and stepped down his living quarters. As he entered the lights turned on.

"Clothing program, ODU (Officer Dress Uniform)" Jacob was surrounded by a bright blue light as his cloths melted into hexagons and reappeared on his body in his standard Officers uniform. As the uniform was pulling together he heard the AI moving through the hallway.

"By the way commander, I would recommend against using your SE." Jacob raised his eyebrows at this notion of refraining from using his SE.

"Why?" He questioned with confusion lacing his voice.

"They call the Seraphim 'Nova' here… it's quite strange but to each their own. They are still the Seraphim. And it appears as though a person with your number of SE, is a threat here." Jacob stroked his chin as he went up to the ACU and engaged building protocol of a FOB.

"What are you doing commander?" The AI inquired about the base that was being constructed before the ACU.

"Building an FOB to help in case I get into a bind." The Base was constructing Jacob made his way down to the bottom of the ACU. Dawn was rising over the forest as the ACU completed a stealth field generator. Several medium range Thumpers and a few point defenses should protect it from a Few HA1 _llshavoh's._ The thumpers, despite being tier two constructs, easily covered north to south coast Japan.

"Commander, your plane will be landing in 3 hours." Jacob quickly picked up his cap and weapons which he promptly stuck in his jacket before making it towards the nearest road.

 **Two hours, a taxi and a hitchhike later…**

"Thanks' for the ride." Jacob said in rusty Japanese as he tipped his hat to the man. Turning around he was faced with a large airport terminal. Making his way inside it took quite a while to find his way through without using his advanced technology to avoid suspicion. Using his documents he showed the officer at the security checkpoint who motioned in the direction he should head.

After several more minutes of walking and observing the 21st century advertising and marketing he made his way to the airfield exit. Making it onto the airfield he was met with a dual rotor osprey. A relic in his time, he had only ever seen one in museums.

"Oh man, an osprey! They stopped using those in 2460." Jacob was walking around the outside of the Osprey looking at the various mechanical workings of the vehicle. However due to his interest in the machine he didn't notice a pair of footsteps at the back of the craft until someone spoke.

"I there something wrong Mr. Sterling?" A voice called out from the rear of the Osprey. Jacob snapped out of his trance from the Osprey and saw a young girl in a school uniform standing at the back.

"Yes, sorry about that I'll be right there." Jacob ran around the Osprey and into the back where he shook hands with the girl before taking a seat. He found the seating to be quite comfortable for a military transport.

"This is West Genetics-1 requesting permission to take off." The pilot asked the control tower from the cockpit. Jacob was fascinated by the old design. 'This design couldn't hold a single Hammer Head tank' Jacob mused, however it wasn't in his head.

"Pardon? Did you say something about tanks?" The girl was quick to question as a suspicious look crossed her features for only a moment. Jacob quickly turned his head to face her as he stuttered a bit.

"N-nothing… oh yes, introduction's. As you know my name is Jacob Sterling, and yours?" He held out his hand to the girl.

"My name is Chiffon Fairchild, I'm the student council president of west genetics." Her cheery voice easing Jacobs's nerves as she took his hand firmly and shook it before snickering a little.

"What's so funny?" Jacob asked with a quizzical look upon his face.

"Oh, it's just that there are so few transfers with manners such as yours. I just simply found it funny." Chiffon stated as she and Jacob shared a small laugh.

"Also as the student council president it is my duty to make sure you feel comfortable and know what is going on at West Genetics." Jacob nodded at Chiffons words as she continued to speak.

"As you know, the school teaches Pandora's and Limiters. People who are here to fight against the Nova." Jacob listened intently as she continued speaking. Jacob at this point decided to take out his notepad and take down notes.

"As a first year you will most likely be chosen by a second year Pandora to be her limiter." Jacobs's eyebrows furrowed at this statement.

"You mean we follow what they say and provide support? Am I right to a certain degree?" Jacob questioned as Chiffon pulled up a holographic display of the human brain.

"Well it's a little more complicated than that, you see there is a part of the brain called the Erienbar, a small part of the brain that controls all five senses. When a Limiter and Pandora go into battle they enable and Erienbar set which makes their five sense one." Jacob was taken aback slightly at this breach in privacy that the Pandora and Limiters have to go through. Jacob could also only watch in fascination as the UEF had never released any papers on this part of the brain or its function in battle.

"I'm guessing they have to be pretty trusting and close to each other for the set to work without a hitch." Jacob could only guess as Chiffon displayed another graph showing a Limiter's and a Pandora's connected brainwaves.

"And young boys, such as yourself, are prime subjects for a complete compatibility with a Pandora." Chiffon finished with a sigh as she grasped her hands and leaned back in her chair. Jacob wondered even more about this set as Chiffon continued once again.

"Now onto the Nova, as you know the Nova began attacking us without reason. Mercilessly, and without warning. These encounters became known as nova clashes, normally they are spaced a few years apart but have become more frequent." Jacob sat back as he contemplated the relative infrequent attacks that these people faced compared to him, he was broken from his thinking when Chiffon started speaking again.

"When the Nova attack they unleash what we call a "Freezing Field" that stops anything man made in its tracks. However when a limiter creates and Erienbar Set this allows the limiter to cast an anti-freezing field, allowing the Pandora to move within the Nova's field." Jacob nearly reeled in shock at this ability that these people could use without Stasis Field Neutralizing Devices, or SFND's.

"Also what is the purpose of that uniform?" Jacob panicked a little as he just realized he had been wearing his full UEF officer's uniform, medals and all.

"It's my great, grandfathers. My family is not one to get rid of things so easily." Chiffon just nodded with noticeable approval as Jacob looked out the window and saw a massive, sprawling facility laid out before them. Jacob also looked down and saw a whole smorgasbord of attack choppers, jets, transport choppers, armored vehicles, and landing strips. 'These guys are really well equipped' Jacob thought as the wheels of the Osprey touched down on the helipad.

"Welcome to West Genetics, one of Japans largest training facilities for Pandora and limiters." Chiffon said as she motioned with her arms to the facility before them. Jacob really had to take a second to look at the surrounding area.

"You will be attending with the 1st years as you are one yourself. I see that class is almost started, you might want to head over there as fast as possible. It's the second building on the left after the Dormitories. We will continue with introductions later, maybe you can meet Sister Margaret, tomorrow would be splendid." Jacob nodded as he picked up his bags and started jogging down the tree-lined paths.

The campus was beautiful to say the least. The wonderful reds and greens of the trees contrasted well with the bricks and tiles of the buildings. Although he noticed the large demolished area near where they landed he just filled that under training areas for these Pandora.

Jacob was lost in the rich colors of the brick buildings and because of the fact that he was too busy looking around he suddenly found himself smack dab in someone's back.

"Ouch, watch where you're going." The male blurted out. "Sorry, I wasn't aware of my surroundings." Was Jacobs's response. Their responses were a stark contrast. 'Who has manners like these?' Jacob mused as he looked at the young man before him.

"Pardon me but I'm going to be late to my first class, I will talk later at lunch, my name is Jacob Sterling, you?" The male was pulled up to his feet by Jacob and looked at him with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Arthur, Arthur Crypton. Sorry about that by the way. See you at lunch Jacob." Arthur picked up his books as he started heading in the same direction as Jacob.

"Why are you following me?" Jacob questioned as he noticed Arthur jogging after him. Fixing his cap Jacob just gave a small shrug as the boy caught up to him, now moving at the same pace Arthur decided to speak.

"I'm headed to class, oh! You must be in my class. Welcome, ahead of time. Also sorry about earlier. My Pandora, Ganessa Roland is quite a hand full." Arthur chuckled as Jacob looked at him quizzically.

"'Your" Pandora? What do you mean 'your'?" Jacob stopped as Arthur did and they just looked at each other. Arthur let out a small chuckle as Jacob just looked upon him with genuine confusion prevalent on his face. Then he remembered what Chiffon had told him on the way here, how Pandora picked Limiters. 'Apparently the Limiter also has to pick the Pandora' Jacob thought as he caught up with Arthur.

"You really don't know? Ha! That's hilarious, and you were admitted in here with your current knowledge. That's kind of funny." Arthur started jogging again as Jacob just looked at him with curious eyes as he took a sharp turn towards a stark white building lined with windows. 'This place is really strange' Jacob mused as he followed Arthur into the Building.

Walking through the halls Jacob noticed that it was basically empty. 'Strange, this is supposed to be a high tech military base… where are the training rooms and officers?' Jacob was getting suspicious, he could have sworn this place was a top secret military facility. Then he saw the room he was supposed to enter.

"Well, first impressions are everything…" Jacob took a deep breath and put his officer's cap on his head. The deep black lines contrasted with the grey officer's jacket and pants. The UEF insignia was printed on the cap and the right side of the Chest. Jacob gripped the handle and pushed the door open. Upon opening the door the lecture that was going on halted. Jacob held his breath as he looked out and saw assorted boys and girls. The girls were talking amongst themselves as the lady at the front of the room put down her tablet and stared right into Jacobs's eyes.

"You're late…" Her monotone voice sent chills up Jacobs's spine. She was just like Jacobs first CO, cold and calculating. Prepared to judge any move you made wrong.

"Sorry ma'am, it was my fault and I will take any and all responsibility for the disruption of class, Ma'am!" He finished with a heel click and salute as the teacher just leaned back and started giggling. Raising a hand to cover her mouth Jacob watched with fascination at her actions.

"Ma'am, I fail to see what is so funny about the current situation." Jacob was confused, then he noticed that the students had also taken a funny view of the situation as they had started giggling and chuckling as well.

"This may be a military school, but there is no need for such dramatics. You can be relaxed, to a certain degree. Now make your way to the front of the class room so we may introduce you." The teacher motioned to the front of the class room. Jacob slowly made his way to front of the class room. Analyzing the students with the SE implants in his skull. All their SE activation levels were below average, if not average.

"Sterling, are you going to stare everyone down like they're plotting against you or are you going to introduce yourself?" The teacher said as Jacob snapped out of his staring. 'Great, she's witty, at least it's a change of pace' Jacob sighed as he stepped up on stage and spoke.

"My name is Jacob Sterling. That is all." Jacob calmly walked down to the nearest desk and took a seat before taking out his note pad and pen. The teacher was a little surprised to say the least at his brief and not-very-informative words.

"Now back to the lesson. As you can see this Type-S Nova has become the most common type of Nova that we have encountered up to this point. It is by far the most powerful we have faced." The screen lit up and made Jacob flinch slightly at the sight. The slender floating form of the S2 Nova made him cough a little. 'This is the most powerful they have faced?! They have no idea' Jacob was taken aback by the Seraphim's speed of conflict in this dimension, it was too slow.

"Teacher, are you sure this is strongest form of Se… Nova you have faced." The hitch in Jacobs speaking was noticed by a few students whose questioning gazes fell upon him.

"Yes, this is the most powerful, taking a substantial amount a force to take down." Jacob leaned back in his seat. Jacob took a deep breath and looked quite uncomfortable as he sat up. Twirling his pen in his hands he looked back to the teacher.

"I see… that is all I wanted to know." Jacob was jotting down notes at lighting speed for the entirety of the class. When the bell rang and the holograms shut down Jacob closed his book and looked to the stage. The students started getting up and packing their bags as the teacher made her way back up to the center of the stage.

"All right students that was the lunch bell. Go grab a bite to eat before the training matches begin." Jacob had packed up his bags before the teacher had finished her speech and was out the door. Quickly walking with the rest of the students, 'Going with the flow eh, that's not something you used to do Jacob' His internal thoughts made him chuckle as he looked back at his notes. They were worrying to say the least.

Entering the "Cafeteria" he was met with the largest assortment of gourmet food he had ever laid eyes on. Chicken Parmesan that actually looked like it was fresh. Some whole turkey, legs of lamb and skirt steaks. Salads and fruit, vegetables and dairy products. It was glorious to say the least. Before joining the UEF he had been the largest foodie in the northern hemisphere of Artorius, his home. Every chef from New Hampton to Old Haven knew of his eating habits.

Then he remembered when they came, the Seraphim burned it all down in a few hours. He blamed the UEF for their inability to react and save the colony. It was on that day that he knew he wanted to become a commander for the UEF, to save those who can't protect themselves from the Seraphim. Coughing and throwing himself out of that nightmare that was the Artorius massacre, one of millions that happened when the seraphim invaded. Picking up a plate he headed over to the meat section and got a few prime cuts of sirloin with some potato salad on the side.

Taking a seat at the nearest vacant table he quickly put down his plate and picked up the real cloth napkin. 'Damn this place is fancy, they have actual napkins.' He mused as he tucked the napkin into his collar. Popping the first bite of sirloin into his mouth he could taste all the different seasonings, it was by far the most delicious thing he had eaten in over three decades. From the MRE's to the instant coffee nothing had ever tasted this good. 'OK that's enough food for now' Jacob thought wiping his mouth with his napkin as he pulled out his notes from earlier.

After looking over the notes a few times he had realized something. "That's impossible, the Seraphim would never take that long to invade a dimension, unless this dimension was unstable." Jacob was in the middle of his analysis at the table when a tray smacked down next to him. Making him jump as he quickly slid the book into his bag.

"Hey, again I'm sorry about earlier…" Jacob looked up and was met with Arthur, the kid he ran into earlier. 'I think his name was Arthur… yeah that's it.' Jacob thought before responding to Arthur's apology.

"Why are you apologizing Arthur? I ran into you, remember?" Jacob stated as Arthur seated himself across from Jacob. A small grin spread across Arthur's mouth as he immediately sprang up, shocking Jacob. Jacob could only watch in horror as Arthur initiated his best mock military acting.

"Yes Ma'am I'm sorry for interrupting class." He said in a mocking tone as he mock saluted Jacob. A few girls and boys from their class also mock saluted before chuckling. They all returned to their food as Arthur sat down again pulling out his napkin putting it on his lap. Jacob cringed a little as Arthur started eating his food with the napkin on his lap. 'Under the table is no place for a napkin, your legs are under the table!' Jacob was screaming in his head as Arthur spoke again drawing his attention away from the improper napkin placement.

"What was that all about Jacob? Hardcore military exercises your father put you through." Arthur chuckled as Jacob fake laughed and then sighed a little. 'Yeah I wish it was just exercises' Jacob sighed, but before he could speak two more trays landed next to him. One limiter and another Pandora.

"So, what are the levels of stigmata on average?" The table fell silent. Jacob was worried now as the people at the table leaned in. Jacob tensed as a scenario ran through his head. 'Did I say something wrong, it that like a forbidden thing?!' Jacob was worrying now as Arthur broke the tense silence.

"The average around here is three. Why do you ask?" Arthur answered as Jacob decided to break the still air.

"Oh, I was just wondering." Jacob spoke as he leaned back. 'Way to go, couldn't get any deeper aye?' Jacob scolded himself as the bell rang. He guessed it signified the ending of the lunch period as he popped the last piece of meat into his mouth before wiping his mouth and placing the tray on the nearby collection bin.

"Oh yeah, there's a training match going on in the Arena… anyone want to join me?" Arthur spoke out as several limiters and a few Pandora gathered around him. They all said their goodbyes as they left to the training facility.

"Might want to watch this." Jacob muttered as he called up the base on his PDA and set up several Mech Marines to be built as the base was basically dormant the whole day. Hell he could build them with the SE implants in his arms. It seemed as though the students here only had around 3 on average, he had 36.

Jacob had made his way down the streets winding through the facility as he came upon a large domed building. Shrugging, he slowly moved towards the building pushing the doors open as he made his way inside. Walking through the winding corridors he finally arrived at an unlocked door. Looking through he saw a large glass window and a bunch of limiters and Pandora looking down.

As he stood in the spectator's area he noticed four of the Third years and their "limiters" waiting on the battleground. The four Pandora on the field were as follows: Arnett McMillan, Attia Simmons, Elizabeth Mably, and Ingrid Bernstein. They looked poised and ready to go, despite their outward appearance Jacob could tell that they were relatively weak.

As the bell rang they bolted towards each other, blurs of light that buzzed around at unbelievable speeds. The occasional blood splatter here and there indicated the contact of blades and blunt instruments against flesh. The other spectators watched the fighting on a high speed, high quality camera as they couldn't track the action. However, Jacob could watch just fine as his implants allowed for a clear vision of the entire match.

"Are these really the best people they have to fight these Nova?" Apparently some of the students heard his comment as they turned to shush him. Jacob returned to his cup of iced tea and proceeded to watch the students lined up on the battleground.

"They really will stand no chance against the S5." Jacob sighed as he took a seat

"That's enough." Jacob murmured as he slowly rose from his seat and opened the door making his way outside, the door closing silently behind him. Once he was outside he was met with three men who looked like military officers and someone dressed in a nun's outfit. The nun looked at Jacob in the eyes before motioning for him to follow.

"Ma'am, you wanted to talk?" Jacob asked as the military personnel flanked him and he followed Margaret. They were silent as they made their way through the hallways and into a different, namely militaristic, structure. As they walked down the long and dimly lit hallways of West Genetics' underground passages Jacob decided he was going somewhere unpleasant. The number of chairs in the room they entered was surprisingly small for such a large room. Jacob had an uneasy feeling about this place.

"Jacob Sterling, it's what your papers say, is it not." The nun questioned as took a seat, the military officials following suit shortly after her also taking position across from each other at the table.

"It's true. That's my name." The sister looked at his unwavering gaze with a deep questioning look. Jacob inhaled and then exhaled deeply as he saw their deep gazes. The nun caught his nervous breathing and quickly jumped on it.

"Why are you lying?" Jacob flinched as he strengthened his already firm gaze on the nun's calculating hazel eyes.

"I'm not lying Ma'am, I am attending this school legitimately and know full well of its capability's." Jacob answered as the nun leaned forward in her seat staring Jacob down. After a moment of silence and examination she could not tell for the life of her if he was lying or entirely telling the truth. However his appearance and sudden application didn't sit well with her.

"Alright Mr. Sterling, I believe you, that is all I wanted to talk to you about. Go enjoy the rest of you day. Also here is the key to your room in case you don't have one already." The sister slid a black keycard across the table as Jacob nodded, picking it up before leaving. Sister Margaret just sat there as the door closed looking across the table as here military advisors approached from where they were listening.

"His story is solid, no surviving family, and no one to contact about his life. It's the perfect cover story. Do you really believe him?" One of the advisors asked the sister.

"We have to believe him for now…." The sister trailed off as the military officer nodded in confirmation.

"Although I suggest we monitor him…" One of the officers said as the group moved to leave the building. Although they stopped when Sister Margaret spoke.

"No, if we do we will lose his trust and with that means we start losing the trust of the other students. Think… if one student reports monitoring the other students will start to get suspicious." The nun spoke quick and to the point as the officers nodded before splitting up to head to the headquarters, leaving Sister Margaret alone in the hallway.

"What do I do?" She said as she started shuffling down the hall, making her way towards her office.

A/N: Hope you guys liked it, don't forget to PM me if you want to tell me anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter II... yay! Hope you guys enjoy this one**

Jacob had been walking back to his dorm when… "Wait, where the hell is the dorm!" Jacob cursed out as he realized he was lost, so utterly and completely lost. Jacob had stopped to read one of the maps but was saddened to see it mainly in Japanese with a few little English translations.

"Do you need assistance Mr. Sterling?" A voice came from his rear as he spun around and was met with the same girl who he had seen on the Osprey earlier that day. Her brown hair framed her face with small bangs covering her forehead. Although what caught him the most was her eyes like they did earlier. They were complete slits, not just drooping closed but actual almost completely closed slits. Jacob just brushed it off as he spoke.

"Yes ma'am, I need to find the men's dorm room? Would you know where that is?" Jacob spoke as the girl's ever present smile just got wide. She hopped a little as she made her way past him before stopping and facing him. Jacob was wondering what she was doing before she spoke.

"Well? Are you coming, you wanted to get to the boys dorm." Jacob snapped up a little as he quickly moved to follow her, a small blush of embarrassment crossing his features. 'Why am I blushing, geez man you get a few years younger and it looks like your brain did as well' He chuckled prompting the girl to turn back to him with a quizzical look on her face.

"Oh sorry it's nothing." Jacob said as he looked up seeing the sign that pointed towards the boy's dormitory. "Thank you." Jacob said as the girl nodded. Jacob adjusted his cap and tipped it to the girl who nodded before speaking.

"Oh by the by I hope you are enjoying your stay so far." Jacob nodded again as he took her hand in a shake. He noted that her skin had a very smooth appearance as did his since the reversed aging had removed the decade's worth of scars and calluses from his skin.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again Ms. Fairchild." Jacob released her hand as he turned towards the dorm and made his way through the door. The building was massive, the walls painted a nice cream color. His ACU had always been his home, its interior had been a cream color as well which gave him a sense of comfort. He had walked a few minutes before arriving at his door numbered 338. He slid the key into the door and pushed it open. Upon walking inside he could have sworn he was in a five star hotel, or an officer's dormitory because this place was nice.

"Wow" was all he could say as he looked at his room. The fresh and ironed sheets that draped the bed matched the curtains which were a nice light blue, tinting the room to the same color. As he laid his bags down he walked over to the closet to find it larger than the cockpit in the ACU. He was having a surprisingly good time exploring the room. The he realized that there was a shower. An actual shower with fresh water. He used his SE to disengage is cloths and stepped into the wash room. Turning the water handle he found fresh water pouring from the shower head.

Stepping into the shower he was met with an assortment of haircare and body washing products. He never knew there were so many. "Oh sweet baby Jesus" he muttered as he stepped into the lukewarm water. The water cascading over his Seraphim Enhancements made a chill run through them. As he scrubbed he remembered the last shower he took. The ACU had a shower, sure, but it was only "Fresh" for about a week and they normal assignments lasted up to several months. Lathering up his hair and soaping thoroughly, making sure to get his SE implants, he enjoyed the shower for a good 8 minutes. Realizing how long he had been in the shower he turned to handle and shut off the shower before opening the curtain.

Upon stepping out of the shower he toweled himself dry. After he had exited the washroom he heard a knocking on the door and quickly threw on a shirt as his SE were visible all over his back with a few on his shoulders and skull. He quickly put on his cap and made his way to the door before opening it. There standing in front of him was Arthur.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?" Jacob questioned as Arthur just walked past him right into his room without asking. This unsettled Jacob greatly before he realized that he was no longer a 54 year old man but a 16 year old boy, in Arthur's eyes he was on the same level as they were.

"Just wanted to welcome you into West Genetics, so who are you going to pick as your partner." Jacob looked at Arthur with a certain amount of confusion.

"I have to pick one?" Jacob asked as Arthur pulled out a seat at the small table by the window.

"You have to pick a Pandora as your partner for fighting." Arthur stated as his joyful face was swapped out with something resembling slight seriousness for his fellow limiter as he got up and made his way to the door.

"Well if that's the case I'll tell you tomorrow when we have more time. Get some sleep Jacob, you'll need it for the training exercises that we do." Arthur left with a chuckle as the door closed. Jacob reflected on his words, 'Hmmm training, that should be fun' Jacob mused as he slowly moved over to his bed and used his SE to equip his pajamas. Dark grey with blue stripes. The UEF emblem on the right thigh and left breast pocket.

Jacob made his way to the bed after brushing his teeth. Slowly sitting down on the bed he was amazed by the comfort the bed offered. Nothing like the bed that was on the ACU. As Jacob was about to close his eyes his PDA buzzed, the familiar voice of the AI emanating from it.

"Commander, you FOB has been idle for the past few hours, do you wish for anything to be constructed over the next few hours while you rest?" The AI questioned as Jacob put in orders for an assortment of attack aircraft and vehicles to be put on standby in the hangers.

"Affirmative commander, "good night" commander." The AI said awkwardly as she turned off. Jacob smiled at the AI's attempt at acting more… "Normal" whatever that meant. Jacob then closed his eyes ready to let sleep take him. A night without disturbances and one that actually allowed him to rest, or so he thought.

Jacob sat up in a shock. The ground burning around him, the buildings that stretched out into the distance were all smashed and alight. Then he saw it a seraphim S5 assault bot. standing over 315 meters tall its large tentacles shot hyper heated particles at the UEF bots. Then he saw her, Commander Rachel Sampson, hey pink and yellow commander towered above him as it spared him a quick glance. Behind him he saw his ACU, burning at the base of a mountain, its core containment had let him live. Then he returned his attention to Rachel as she put her ACU into a sprint towards the S5

"Rachel, what are you doing?! It'll kill you!" He screamed into his coms. The radio was silent as his childhood friend activated her boosters slamming the ACU into the S5's chest.

"Jacob, this is how we save Alpha 6." Rachel said as her ACU started glowing. Delivering punch after punch into the chest of the S5. The armor quickly breaking apart the core shone through the night sky. The cannon on the ACU's arm started glowing a deep blue as the Overcharge shot was activated.

The shot rang out as the core was destroyed yet the S5 still stood. It took the ACU off of its chest and started stabbing it with the tentacles. Jacob knew that the failsafe in the ACU couldn't be stopped now as the damage to her ACU was too great. The ACU's core went critical. The chest glowed but before it exploded Rachel pulled herself right into what was left of the core.

The ACU detonated. A brilliant orb of orange filled the horizon as the ACU went up in a thermonuclear detonation. The wave traveled towards Jacob slamming into him.

Jacob violently shot up in bed, sweat pouring down his face as he quickly went to the wash room splashing water on his face. 'That dream, I hadn't had that one in nearly 19 years' Jacob's breath was quick and pained as he thought back to when Rachel died. She was the first great loss he had experienced as a commander and she wasn't the last. From that day onward Jacob had sworn to avoid any and all unnecessary sacrifices. Be they his troops or other commanders he wouldn't let anyone sacrifice themselves unless it was the only thing they could do.

Looking at his clock he noticed it was 0640 hours. Jacob nodded as he left the bathroom. His standard issue military training uniform materialized around him as he left the dorm with his cap placed tightly upon his head. As he made his way onto the street he entered a jog towards the field that was down the way from the dorm.

His boots hit rhythmically on the brick and tiles as he breathed in and out at well-timed intervals. Upon reaching the field he saw a few dozen people there, and from the looks of their uniforms they were girls. Jacob just shrugged as he jogged down the stairs onto the track. Slowly moving to the starting line he took off on a standard 300 meter run. His body had kept the muscle mass and fat content that he had when he was 54, and by all normal standards, he was well built for his age. His toned body was only slightly hidden by his training shirt that was standard with the UEF.

As he rounded for his third lap he noticed that several of the girls had stopped what they were doing and were watching him. 'Strange, isn't there anything better they have to do?' Jacob mused as he finished his last lap. Sweat just starting to accumulate on his skin. He made his way off the track as he went to the water cooler. Taking his cap off him put it down on the bench before taking a paper cup from the side of the water cooler. The medals on his cap tinkled as he let go of the cap. Ranging from the Silver Star and a number of purple hearts to the Distinguished Service Medal. Then there was a gift from his friend Rachel, a small pink teddy bear pin. After his third cup he went to grab his cap but found it wasn't there.

"Where is it?" He muttered as a small spot of panic washed over him. Mainly because it was the only item he couldn't materialize using his SE's because of the foreign objects attached to it. Finally after looking around another time he heard someone clear their throat. Turning around he saw several Pandora looking at him with huge grins, almost animalistic, on their faces. Jacob knew this wouldn't end well. Then the one in front held out his hat before unpinning two of the medals and dangling them in her hand.

"So you must be that knew kid, Jacob was it?" Her tone was grinding away at Jacobs nerves, it was the most condescending and arrogant tone. Jacob was about to speak up when she dropped the medals on the ground. He could just see the markings on them, they were from before the Seraphim had shown up, the Infinite War, and they were his father's medals. A bright flash and pulse of electricity reduced them to a puddle of molten silver. Jacob's back straightened as he held back any feelings that would compromise him further to this monster before him. She then took off the next two, a Silver Star and a Distinguished Service Cross and threw them into the molten metal. "Those medals…" Jacob muttered under his breath as they sunk into the liquid, melting away.

"What did you say? I couldn't quite hear you!" She said in that same mocking tone as she twirled the cap around stopping on the teddy bear. Jacobs's heart stopped as she plucked the plastic bear off the cap. She had to have seen his reaction because her eyes gleamed as she held the teddy bear out over the molten metal. The other Pandora were giggling at the one Pandora's actions as Jacob heard shouting on the top of the hill. He looked over and saw a group of limiters jogging down the hill, Arthur in the lead. Arthur was about to reach them but was blocked by a Pandora who knocked him down with a swift push to the chest.

"Hey!" Came the shouts of several other limiters. They were quickly silenced by the one Pandora who drew her weapon, materializing from thin air a weighty hammer. The limiters slowly backed away watching Jacob with anxious hope that he would escape unscathed.

"What is your name?" Jacob questioned flatly. The Pandora stopped and stared at him as he stood up straight and asked again. "I am asking, what is your name?" His voice had force behind it.

"Scarlet Ross, what is it to you Limiter." It was Jacobs turn to laugh now as this bitch dared to call him by his position and not by his name.

"So Pandora, tell me why are you doing this." The Pandora was taken aback at his sudden backtalk. Then they started laughing. Stopping her laughter she slowly looked at him with two deep blue eyes.

"Look here limiter, WE don't kill Nova, the Pandora kill Nova and the Limiters help." Scarlet spoke firmly twirling the teddy bear pin in her hands.

"Also for that outburst you just had I should teach you a lesson." Jacob grimaced as he realized he couldn't use his SE but he could use his enhanced senses and physical ability to outmatch this low-power Pandora. Drawing a knife from his boot he got into a defensive position with his knife in a reverse grip. The Pandora hesitated as the sun came above the horizon bathing the scene in a brilliant orange light. Both Pandora and Limiters were watching the scene with baited breath.

The Pandora flourished as she drew her weapon. A spear, around 10 feet long with a razor sharp tip. Without as much as a warning the Pandora shot forward with blinding speed. Jacob barely had time to bring up his knife down, deflecting the Pandora's spear into the ground. This quick action elicited gasps of shock from the Pandora and cheers from the Limiters. Jacob could see the anger burning in Scarlet's eyes as she yanked her spear from the ground, spinning on her heels to face Jacob.

"You are going to regret fighting me!" Scarlet quivered with anger as she charged again, this time doing a double acceleration that Jacob didn't see. Jacob heard the skin on his arm being split as a dull pain shot through his shoulder. He dropped his knife as he held onto the wound tightly. To be honest it was all an act, the pain was easily manageable but he had to pretend like it hurt. Stumbling to his knees he released his arm and put his uninjured arm into the air.

"I yield…" Jacob spoke in defeat as Scarlet smirked. Scarlet tossed his cap and bear back to him as herself and the other Pandora walked away. Jacob soon found himself surrounded by Limiters. He had seen two of them before.

"You need to see the nurse about that." Arthur said with concern prevalent in his voice as another voice spoke up.

"Yeah, that looks pretty bad but knowing Scarlet I'm surprised she didn't kill you for your little backtalk you gave her." The Limiter said as both he and Arthur picked Jacob up and supported him on their shoulders.

"By the way my names Kazuya, Kazuya Aoi." Kazuya said as he adjusted his hold on Jacob to better support him.

Jacob had arrived at the nurse's office when Arthur got the nurse and Kazuya led him to an empty bed. Jacob wished them good bye as they left, leaving himself alone with the nurse.

"So what are you in for? Your friend made it off as a pretty big deal….." The nurse trailed off as she saw the gaping wound in Jacobs arm. The quickly rushed over with a medical kit at the ready, pulling out stitches and gauze of varying size from the case.

"My goodness, did Scarlet's spear do this to you?" Jacob could only nod as the nurse applied the bandages and antibacterial spray to the gash. To be fare it stung quite a bit but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"Yeah, she didn't know when to stop with her little spiel and neither did I and that's how I ended up with this." The nurse chuckled as she went to wash her hands. Jacob chuckled as well as he realized his flaws in talking back to someone who had the upper hand. 'However if I were allowed to use all my SE she would be dead' Jacob let out another chuckle as the nurse came back from around the curtain.

"You are free to go Jacob, I don't want to see you anymore." She finished with a small smile as Jacob tipped his hat.

"No problem, you won't be seeing me anytime soon, thanks for the patch Doc." Jacob smiled in reply as he opened the door and walked out, his arm in a sling across his front. Were this his own time and world he would have just used his SE to fix this gash right up and it would be over, but it wasn't and he had to deal with it like a normal human.

Letting out a long sigh as he opened the door leading outside he was greeted with the sun at its height of the day. "1200 hours, hmmm… looks like its lunchtime already." Jacob smirked as he made his way to the cafeteria with his injured arm by his side.

The doors swung open with little to no resistance as Jacob made his way into the cafeteria, busy as always was an understatement. The tables were packed and people crowded around the TV's that ringed the main seating area. Jacob sighed as he made his way to the buffet grabbing what he could as he scanned the tables for an open seat.

"Hey! Over here Jacob." Jacob swiveled his head to find three almost strangers at the table, Arthur was standing while Kazuya and the Pandora were seated. 'Better than nothing' Jacob mused as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh man, I see Scarlet wasn't messing around when she got you this morning." Arthur teased as he made his way over to Jacob. The slight tease had a hint of concern that Jacob acknowledged. They both approached the table. Arthur remained standing while Jacob went to sit.

"You mean Scarlet, Scarlet Ross. What happened this morning?" It was the other Pandora, the one from Jacobs, Kazuya, and Arthur's class. She had a look of concern on her face as she looked at the slightly red bandage that adorned Jacobs arm.

"It's nothing, she just got into a dispute with me when I decided to pick a fight with her." Jacob said nonchalantly as the three of them looked at him with surprise prevalent in their features.

"You…" Kazuya started, "Picked a fight" The Pandora continued, "With a third year Pandora?!" They both finished as Arthur chuckled.

"Yeah, about that Jacob, most limiters who face Pandora end up dead so you're kind of a big deal now." Arthur said as Jacob just let out a sigh of defeat at the predicament he had put himself into. Jacob decided to dig into his food as Kazuya and the Pandora started talking in a low voice to Kazuya. Jacob couldn't help but overhear what the Pandora was saying as his heightened sense of hearing came through.

"If you want to stay in good health I would suggest you steer clear of the Untouchable Queen from now on." Jacobs's brows furrowed as he listened to her talk with Kazuya. "How come?" Was Kazuya's noticeably confused reply. "Let's just say she doesn't do well with other people… there's just something really off about her." Jacob was in a state of even further confusion, 'Untouchable Queen? Who the hell is that?' Jacob continued to think as Arthur barged in.

"What's with all the whispering?" Arthur questioned as Kazuya quickly stood up and stared at the Pandora, a serious look taking over his features. This piqued Jacobs's interests as he put down his fork, he could tell something was going to happen.

"That's a terrible thing to say. It's not nice to spread rumors about people you barely even know!" Kazuya was in full on "Stand up for what you believe" mode and Jacob was quite impressed with his words and actions. "Wait? Who now?" Jacob smirked a bit at Arthur's confusion. Just as Arthur stopped a single pair of footsteps could be heard as the cafeteria went silent. Jacob craned his neck to see as from the entrance came the one and only Satellizer L. Bridgett.

Here effect on the people was almost instantaneous as everyone stopped speaking and people just starred at hear like she was a ghost. "It's the untouchable queen!" Someone spoke as people in the long line to the fast food joint quickly jumped out of her way. It was quite comical to Jacob seeing people push up against the walls and duck and run to hid from her. Jacob was fascinated as he heard a chair squeak as Kazuya got up and started making his way over to her.

"No that's a bad idea!" He heard the other Pandora say. Jacob was at his end with this alienation and decided to speak up. "And why is that?" Jacobs question was met with a blank look and a scratch on the head. "Well because I heard that she…" Jacob stood up and slammed his fork down piercing the metal table and shocking the Pandora.

"Is 'I hear' good enough to judge someone on? Hmmm, well is it? I'll let you think on that one." Jacob sat down after leaving the Pandora staring at him with a look of guilt on her face.

Jacob had turned around as several people started whispering. Kazuya had breached the ring and had spoken up. "Satellizer wait…" Kazuya spoke calmly as he took Satellizer by the wrist stopping her in her tracks. Everyone froze as the pair stood there, one Limiter with his hand wrapped around the wrist of the so-called "Untouchable Queen". The next thing Jacob knew, people were losing their minds. Yelling ranged from "Oh my god." To "He touched her." Jacob just sat there fascinated by this display of alienation that people showed towards Satellizer. 'Some time ago miss, I knew just how you felt' Jacob mused as he saw Kazuya packing the dropped food into the bag. Satellizer had run off and Kazuya was out the door before anyone could blink.

Jacob was pulled from his observation when the Pandora pulled on his jacket. "Look! Over there." Jacob quickly turned to see an older girl with three limiters in tow leaving as well.

"Trouble?" Jacob questioned as Arthur and the Pandora nodded. "You guys go on ahead I still need to heal." They nodded and left as Jacob witnessed the cafeteria falling back into place as he returned to his food. Albeit colder, it was still delicious nonetheless.

After finishing the last piece he wiped his mouth, putting the tray on the collection bin before leaving towards the medical wing to get a checkup on his "Injury" just to keep the guise up.

"Hello." Came the calm and cheery reply from the nurse as she went about replacing Jacobs's wraps. After thanking her he was soon out of the medical wing headed to a makeup class for the classes that he had missed that morning.

"Jacob, it seems as though you are a good student, so this won't take that long." Jacob nodded as Ms. Yu-Mi walked to the front of the small auxiliary class room. The lesson went smooth enough until they got to the types of Nova.

"There are Type-S, Type-Q, Type-R, and Type-F." Jacob sighed out as he finally got the nod of approval after 10 tries. Each time resisting the urge to spew out the UEF database of Seraphim combat units. Yu-Mi must have noticed his frustration as she spoke.

"Is something bothering you? You've been answering the questions flawlessly, you even stumped me on Quantum physics and travel." She chuckled at that part as Jacob did the opposite and just sighed. Her smile dropped yet again as concern crossed her features.

"Seriously, what's the matter?" Jacob couldn't take it and spoke out. "What are you going to do if a larger Nova pops up, one infinitely more powerful?" That was it, his façade was breaking, but he knew that the Pandora and Limiters could never beet a 315 meter tall S5 'Ythotha' assault bot. What happened next baffled him.

She laughed, and it put him into a state of confusion and intrigue as he studied her calm features. "Why are you laughing?" Jacob asked as he put down his Nova studies book.

"Well… we can try can't we? In the end it only matters if we either win or lose. There is no middle ground, and that's what makes us give it our all." Her words made Jacob crack a small smile as she returned the favor. Jacob knew he was in a world where his technology far surpassed theirs and yet they continued fighting this foe from another dimension.

"Now… we should continue these lessons." Jacob nodded before looking to Yu-mi with a new determination. Then his PDA beeped. This caused him to straighten out as the teacher looked at him, knowing the noise came from him.

"Phone… hand it over." She had a small smirk on her face, then she noticed how Jacob was tense. 'What do I do? Should I hand over his only connection to the base? No, I can't.' Then he responded.

"No ma'am, I cannot hand my communication device over to you." He spoke in a clear and commanding monotone. Ms. Yu-mi just looked at him before slowly returning to the lesson at hand.

'That's not normal… not by a long shot.' Yu-mi thought as she slowly let the incident slide away from her. The lesson lasted another few minutes before a young girl burst through the classroom door panting heavily.

"Ms. Yu-Mi, there's a fight occurring on top of the cafeteria building." Yu-mi was up in an instant with Jacob following suit almost instantly.

"This doesn't concern you Jacob, you need to stay in the classroom. You're injured and unfit to help." Yu-mi said over her shoulder at Jacob who kept following regardless.

"It's nothing, it won't slow me down, anyways if what happened earlier is anything to go by then it's some of my friends who are in trouble." Jacob hadn't used the word friend in several decades. It felt strange to him but it also strengthened his resolve.

After running a few minutes they reached the cafeteria stairwell. Jacob made sure that Yu-mi and the other girl couldn't see him before jumping onto the railing. He crouched down and then pushed his legs as hard as they could propelling himself up the center of the stairs case straight to the top. Grabbing onto the top railing and hoisting himself over, he heard Yu-mi and the other girl following quickly behind. Finding the door and bursting out he saw a surprising sight.

 **A/N: Whelp... that's chapter II, see you guys in a week or so for the next chapter! Also let me know what you think in PM**


	3. A New Conflict

**A/N: Well this took a looooooong time to get out... but it's finally here**

Satellizer had the Pandora from earlier pinned down under her. Face smashed into the pavement she was begging for her life. It was quite a humorous sight, despite the fact that someone's life was on the line.

Just now realizing it he saw the kid, Kazuya, with a stasis field deployed. Walking forward he saw the line of students in front of him. Chiffon and Hiiragi stood off to the side along with Arthur. Looking out once again Jacob spotted the bodies of three limiters. Most likely deceased from physical trauma sustained by Satellizer.

Jacob sighed as the teacher burst forth from the stairwell and started yelling at Satellizer to get away from the girl on the ground. Despite not being present Jacob could tell that the girl on the ground did something major to force Satellizer to act like this and bring her into an inch of her life.

Relatively soon the situation was diffused and Jacob walked up to Hiiragi and Arthur.

"What are you doing here Jacob? We thought you had classes." Came Arthur's voice in response to seeing Jacob on the roof with them.

"Well you know, I wanted to make sure my friends were alright, that's all." Jacob finished as he used his 'good' hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

'I need to head back to base for a few days at minimum and make some adjustments for the Pandora...' Jacobs internal mumbling was cut off when he received an elbow in the arm from Arthur.

"Come on let's go hang out, since we don't have classes for the rest of today…" Arthur was cut off by Jacob.

"Actually I need to head back home for a few days to check something that has come up." Jacob said in a slightly irregular and rushed tone of voice. Thankfully Hiiragi and Arthur didn't pick up on it.

"I may be leaving today, so I'm going to say goodbye now until I return in a few days." Jacob said to Arthur again before going over to Kazuya who was standing to the side he was on at the beginning.

"Hey Kazuya, I'm going to be heading home for a few days, but I will be back soon. Also take care of Satellizer while I'm away." Kazuya nodded without saying a word before Jacob rubbed his neck and slowly walked away.

He entered the stairwell as he planned out his route to the principal's office. Carefully treading as to not alert students looking for answers as to what was causing such a commotion on the roof.

 **20 minutes later**

"Hello Sister, I was wondering if I could have a 6-day leave." The lady swiveled around in her chair with a clam look plastered on her face, and an eyebrow raised.

"Yes I know I've only been here a couple days but I need to attend a serious matter at my home." Not an entire lie. Sister Margaret looked at the holographic display before her and typed a few things in before looking up.

"I understand you want to leave and see an old friend, is that right?" There was a silence for a moment before Jacob spoke.

"Yes ma'am, her name is Alice… she's not very good with people and I'm really the only one who can engage her in conversation." Jacob's words were half lies and constructed tales that further encompassed his true need to leave.

"That's a shame… I hope Alice has a good time with you around. You have 6 days until you must be back." Jacob smiled as Sister Margaret printed out a small school slip that had information on his departure and time until return.

"Hope you have fun with these days off." Margaret couldn't help but feel a small tinge of uneasiness as Jacob left through the door to her office.

 **10 minutes later**

Arthur, Hiiragi and Kazuya stood at the entrance waving at Jacob as he got into a relatively nice limousine. As they pulled away Jacob opened the driver's window and saw a human sized drone sitting in the driver's seat. 'How the hell did the security not notice that one' Jacob sighed as he opened his PDA and contacted the base.

"Hello Alice… how are you doing?" The Ai's voice was slow to reply.

"I'm 'doing fine' as you humans say." This caused Jacob to chuckle at the struggle that the AI faced when trying to act normally.

"Why don't I update your emotive processor?" Jacob asked the AI.

"I would find that… 'Cool'." Again the AI's attempt at acting human made Jacob smile widely. The limo continued down the road for two hours. Then the limo turned down a dirt path off of the side road.

"What was filling you with mirth Jacob?" The AI simply could not comprehend what was making Jacob so happy, even with all her calculating over the past 2 hours, about what she was saying.

"Nothing Alice, nothing… Also can you get the workshop and armory up and running before I actually arrive?" The Ai emitted several beeps as she activated the different areas of the base that had not been used in a few days.

"Base operation capacity is at full and the factories are ready for you orders sir." Alice said as Jacob's limo rolled through the forest. Slowly the trees gave way to a 50-foot-tall and 70-foot-thick wall. The gates in the wall slowly opened as the limo drove through. The base looked familiar and it gave Jacob some comfort.

The large artillery that lined the southern side of the base scanned the horizon for any threats as the wall mounted AA and point defenses scanned the forest for any signs of Seraphim presence.

"It's good to be back… now let's get to work." Jacob said as the limo stopped allowing him to get out and walk into the administration building. The many drones that walked around resembled people but held little emotional or processing capabilities. Jacob sighed as he walked into his office. Plopping down he sighed as he brought up the holographic screen and started writing things down.

 **6 days later**

Jacob wiped his brow as he walked out of the workshop. The old bots walking in one side, coming out the other with new and improved upgrades. Upgrades like extra plating, AA mounts, and anti-personnel weapons.

Even though he felt bad about it he needed something to protect his troops from the Pandora if they ever perceived him as a threat. It felt like a necessary upgrade.

"Commander, your car is ready to transport you to the school… whenever you get ready… about an hour ago… yup… you were supposed already be on your way." Alice had received her emotive upgrade and received a personality, but not the personality Jacob wanted.

"Is this what you would have been like all those years had you received your emotive upgrade?" Jacob asked as he pulled on his school uniform. His cap sat upon his head as he grabbed his bags and walked through the administration building. Waving to some of the friendlier, and smarter, drones they greeted him with some mechanical whirring and waves with their single digit hands.

"Yes it is… now chop, chop, you have a limo to catch." Alice was really enjoying her ability to annoy Jacob, he could tell by the sudden increase in her vocalizations for the past two days. The limo was waiting for him at the front of the building. A jet black unmarked limo that waited patiently was something he never thought he would ever be able to ride in once, let alone twice.

Jacob slid into the backseat as his bags were hoisted into the bag by a loading drone who buzzed off to the battlements soon after. Pulling out his PDA he started writing up some papers that he had been assigned will away. He grumbled as he kept writing. 'Away on break doesn't mean on leave from school work' He sighed as he continued on the several papers he had due by the time he arrived.

A little over three hours, and a vast amount of writing, later he arrived at the school. The walls and tunnels coming into view with their reinforced fences and guard posts. After Jacob had shown his school ID to the guard they let him pass. After another 20 minutes the Limo pulled up to the front gates.

Stepping out of the Limo he heard a few whistles. Looking towards the front gate he saw Hiiragi and Arthur looking at his Limo. Approaching them with his bags in his hands he looked at both of them before they spoke.

"Well, you never said your family could pay for a private Limo and driver." Arthur said still looking at the Limo.

"Do you have butlers and maids at your house?" Hiiragi added with a slight hint of curiosity.

"Yes, yes we do." Jacob added with a smirk as he decided it might be fun to play along, well heavy lifting robots and janitor bots both counted as maids and butlers in their own way.

"I can see how you wouldn't want to come back… Also we've had a few events." Arthur said as he rubbed the back of his neck. They all started through the gates and towards the dorms so Jacob could drop his stuff off.

"What happened?" Jacob asked with mild curiosity. Hiiragi was the one to answer as she skipped and turned around continuing to walk backwards, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Well, for one, Satellizer was put in the brig for the time you were gone for… well, you know…" Jacob remembered the fight that occurred before he left. He smiled slightly at Satellizer's predicament. Then Arthur spoke.

"Also we just had a Pandora queen contest." Arthur stated as a small smile crept up onto his face. "Suffice to say Satellizer won by a landslide vote." Jacob gave a look of approval as they continued walking towards the dorm. A few minutes later they had arrived.

"Anything else?" Jacob said without turning around.

"Well, there were a few fights between Satellizer and other Pandora. Also there's a new Pandora, Rana Linchen. She saved us and Kazuya from a few slightly upset Pandora who thought they could take out their anger on us." Arthur said in a calm tone as they entered the dorm.

"So where is Kazuya?" Jacob inquired as they rounded the corner towards his room. "Kazuya should be in his room." Arthur answered. Jacob was about to speak when a few alarms started going off.

"Attention! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill! We are under attack by 7 Type-S Nova!" The voice over the intercom sounded fearful and Jacob knew that this facility was of high strategic importance.

"Just then a fizzle of energy could be felt in his SE's. His PDA opened up and spoke. "Commander Quantum rift ruptures detected nearby!" Alice now had the capacity to convey emotions in her speech. "7 of them."

Arthur looked to Jacob and couldn't find the source of the voice as he locked eyes with Jacob. "Attention all Limiters and Pandora, gather for deployment to defensive lines immediately!" The ground was almost vibrating with how many Limiters and Pandora were moving about.

"What was that Jacob?" Arthur questioned as they sprinted outside only to be met with the chaos of gathering Pandora and Limiter, readying for combat. Gathering in formations they moved behind several APC's and started boarding. Jacob looked around and saw an APC with an open seat. Hoping on, he buckled in preparing for what he would see once he was past the gate, hell, he was ready to give those Seraphim what they had coming.

"Hey! Who the hell are you! You aren't in our squad!" She sounded angry but Jacob wasn't having any shit from anyone.

Jacob kept silent for a few minutes as the transport bounced around, reminding him why he loved his ACU better. Meanwhile, the Pandora from earlier was keeping up her rant at him, one he had stopped listening to long ago. She was stopped when Jacob spoke, now fed up with her ranting.

"Listen here girl, I have more experience killing these 'Nova' than anyone in this transport combined." Jacob said as he pulled out his PDA and started typing in commands. The Pandora was livid about this Limiter talking back to her and was about to complain some more when the driver spoke.

"Alright ladies and gents, this is it, everyone out and get ready for combat." The ramp dropped and they all jumped out constructing their weapons in their hands, preparing for battle. Jacob stepped in front of all the Pandora and looked at the 7 towering S2 assault bots.

"Alice im going to need some Marines here right now." Jacob spoke into the earpiece as the AI confirmed his order.

Back at base four flying transports loaded up with improved Marines. Emotionless soldiers made to kill the Seraphim and all that followed them. The 11-meter-tall marines stomped onto the metal platform as magnetic clamps slapped onto their shoulders and hoisted them up into the transport.

Yet before anyone could speak the Pandora's started charging forward. "Wait… God Dammit!" Jacob cursed out as the Limiters looked at him with confusion. "They will die facing them, I don't care if they're 1st years or 4th years." Jacob said sadly as he watched the carnage taking place before him. Pandora after Pandora cut down, bisected, ripped apart, and even absorbed by the Seraphim.

"We need to fall back to the gates!" Jacob yelled to the remaining troops after only a minute of fighting.

This same situation was commonplace within the UEF forces when facing an army of Seraphim this large. Victory with such a small force was almost impossible, they needed a chokepoint or easily defensible position.

The remaining Pandora's and limiters heard him and followed him to near the APC. "No one is going to live if we keep this up… Alice how long until the Assault bots get here!?" Jacob yelled into his microphone as he met up with the remaining Pandora and Limiters.

"Who gave you command of my squad!" Said a furious Pandora with a look of fury in her eyes. Then they both froze before Jacob spoke, a small smirk playing across his features.

"Scarlet Ross, it looks like we meet again… I wished under better circumstances." He smirked as she looked at him with confusion as the Nova advanced on their position.

"Why are you so calm? Half the squad was wiped out! We need to fight them until…" She was shocked to see Jacob paying her no mind as he pressed two finger against his ear.

"Alice, have the Klink Hammers opened fire?" Jacob questioned and received a reply by way of a whistling sound from the sky. The Pandora and Limiters looked about before seeing a streak of light flying through the sky towards the Nova.

"Affirmative Commander, the Marines are on the way as well." Alice finished as several sets of jet engines could be heard off in the distance.

The engines were temporarily drowned out as the 80-foot-long, 9-foot-wide, 20-ton-shells smashed into the lead Nova causing it to crash to the floor from the force of the impact.

"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen… The giant piles of metal that are landing are friendly. Their job is to offer us time to retreat and possibly eliminate the Nova." Jacob spoke as the remaining students watched with a mixture of shock, confusion, and hope.

"Hey driver, tell all other combat groups that the robots are friendly." Jacob finished as the Driver nodded, repeating Jacobs words into the radio.

He watched the marines taking and dealing out hits out they swatted away the tentacles and used their 5 foot knives to slice them off but they still came back. Slowly the Seraphim started pushing them back.

"What the hell is going on out there!?" Came a voice from his radio. It was Sister Margaret. He turned on his microphone and spoke into it.

"Code red, if that's a thing, 7 Nova assault bots… I mean S2 bots… err S2 Nova are attacking from the west!" Sister Margaret thought for a moment before speaking.

"You need to retreat back…"

"Already ahead of you Sister." Jacob interrupted as the APC's, or the few that remained, peeled away and started heading back towards the base.

"Alright Jacob, take care and don't let anything past you." Sister Margaret had a tinge of confidence in her voice as the communication ended.

"Alice, we need some engineers up at the western flank of West Genetics, what's the ETA on that?" Jacob questioned as they rapidly approached the wester gate.

"The Eta is 45 seconds. However, I did send a preemptive group of deployable tanks to the gates… suffice to say that the Pandora and Limiters are quite confused at the appearance of the 6-meter-tall tanks." Jacob sighed as he looked out the front of the APC and was met with a dozen T1 Deployable tanks in a semi-circle.

The other people in the APC were confused, to say the least, with the appearance of this mysterious military force, weapons of an unprecedented scale. As the APC came to a halt Jacob disembarked and walked over to the tanks before opening up his PDA and interfacing with them.

"Units 1-12, enter a deployed state and return fire only." Jacob ordered as the giant tanks started unfolding and deploying the 260mm guns on their top and the 50mm dual guns on the sides of their hull.

"Additional rifts detected commander!" Alice stated as the Seraphim crested the hill before them.

"Aerial units?!" Alice almost yelled as Jacob looked around in fear at the lack of any AA on the walls surrounding West Genetics.

"I need some of these Deployable tanks to enter AA mode!" Jacob ordered as Alice confirmed the order.

The turrets of some of the tanks pulling back into the hull but re-emerging seconds later with quad 180mm guns in the turrets.

"What kind of flyers do we have coming in?" Jacob asked Alice.

"They only appear to be T1 gunships, no problem to the Deployable." This eased Jacob a little bit as his radio crackled to life.

"Jacob Sterling!" It was the Sister, "What in the blazes is going on out there? I have reports of tanks nearing the height of our walls out there!" Jacob knew he would never hear the end of it.

"After this engagement I will tell you what you need to know, I swear upon it as a commander in the United Earth Federation armed forces." Jacob cut the comms as the Gunships entered the range of the Deployable tanks.

The clacking of turret drives slowing before a deafening buzz filled the air.

This was the start of a battle… not the first… nor the last.

 **A/N: Yes... you can kill me for clifhgangering here... *Sigh* I hate myself too for this, also don't forget to leave a like and a review!**


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